With the ridiculous price of cheese right now I’ve been looking for cheese alternatives that I can make at home without costing too much. I found several recipes for ‘cheese’ made from zucchini online and gave it a go over the weekend.
This is my recipe for two types of ‘cheese’ as my first go was more like a soft spreadable cream cheese but I really wanted a harder cheese which required more agar agar. I also like the addition of nutritional yeast for a more cheesy flavour, and less lemon juice – but you can play around with it yourself to get the flavour you prefer.
For me this is still a work in process and I’d love to hear how you get on making your ‘cheese’.
zucchini cream ‘cheese’
Non Dairy Zucchini ‘Cheese’
1 cup peeled diced zucchini (about two medium sized zucchini)
1 Tbsp refined coconut oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (you can leave this out for less lemony ‘cheese’)
1 tsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp agar agar for soft spreadable ‘cheese’, 3 Tbsp for a harder ‘cheese’
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
Method
Make sure you have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go as time is of the essence.
Place the diced zucchini in a steamer and steam until tender which takes around 5 minutes. Drain and immediately sprinkle agar agar over the zucchini and cover for a couple minutes to activate, then stir to dissolve.
You can also use gelatine instead of agar agar but gelatine is an animal product. Reduce the amount to 1.5 Tbsp for soft cheese and 2 Tbsp for hard cheese. I have not actually tried this but that is what some of the recipes recommended.
Next add the coconut oil and stir in as it melts, then add the rest of the ingredients.
I used a stick blender to blend but you can transfer to a blender – blend until smooth.
Pour into a small silicon loaf mould or a very small cake tin and place in the fridge to set which takes a couple of hours.
The ‘cheese’ will keep in the fridge for around 6 days.
Interested in more inspiration for cheese substitutes? Click here for a recipe previously shared on our blog for a mouth-watering and nutritious Raw Chocolate Cheesecake – without the cheese.
About The Author: Triona
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